saveurs bread

saveurs chocs

saveurs deli

saveurs staff

Luckily for its residents and visitors, talented young French chef Julien Picamil was so captivated by Dartmouth’s charms he set up a mouth-watering patisserie in the heart of the town.

Pastry chef Julien and trained sommelier and restaurant manager Guylaine met while both were working alongside celebrity chef John Burton Race at his former Michelin-starred New Angel Restaurant overlooking the River Dart.

As well as falling for each other, the pair also fell in love with the picturesque town and decided to carve out a life for themselves here.

Julien and Guylaine opened Saveurs five years ago and it has since grown to encompass a traditional French boulangerie, chocolaterie, patisserie and restaurant plus a continental delicatessen.

Saveurs occupies the ground floor of an elegant 18th century listed building close to the historic Butterwalk and for the past two years the kitchen at the bakery has been supported by a purpose designed separate kitchen unit at the top of town.

The boulangerie and patisserie are at the heart of Saveurs, with regular customers visiting every day to buy its delicious freshly-made bread, croissants, pastries and cakes baked daily in the bakery’s kitchens.

Julien uses a range of the finest French flours and recipes to produce a variety of breads including traditional baguettes, campagne, wholemeal, walnut and rye and more recently a sour dough bread made with a 60-year-old starter.

Few early morning customers can resist tucking into a buttery croissant or mouth-wateringly tasty pastry with their kick-start-the-day coffee, sourced from the finest Columbian, Guatemalan and Indonesian coffee beans.

Guylaine said: ‘We like a coffee or a latte full of the best flavours. We serve what we like.’

Also popular are Saveurs beautiful celebration cakes - from the traditional round and square shapes to complicated and bespoke shapes, Saveurs can fulfil any need and deliver within a 15-mile radius of Dartmouth.

Julien, who served an apprenticeship with a bakery in the South of France and went on to work in bakeries and restaurants across Europe before settling in Dartmouth, is a master at his own sweet pastry creations – summer strawberry tarts and the much savoured double chocolate mousse confection are among the most admired.

With Easter fast approaching, who can resist Saveurs chocolates made with the finest French Valrhona chocolate and fashioned into a myriad of stunning seasonal treats including Easter eggs, Easter chicks and cute chocolate jigsaws.

Saveurs also serves more substantial fare which can be enjoyed at lunchtimes or on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, when pizza is on the menu along with freshly made pasta and unique sauces based on recipes from the couple’s families.

This spring, the pair also plan to introduce tapas to their repertoire. Julien said: ‘We will still have fresh pasta on the menu but we are also putting a selection of tapas on our blackboard inspired by tastes from all over the world.’

A natural extension to the restaurant is Saveurs outside catering service.

Freshly cooked menus can be supplied for small events to big weddings as well as birthdays, themed parties and corporate events, with the dishes complimented by Guylaine’s expertise in wine.

Together Julien and his co-chef Forty Bukauskas, who also worked at John Burton Race’s award-winning restaurant, and the new manageress Julia Hallett comprise Saveurs ‘dream team,’ Julien laughed. He added: ‘We are all passionate about food.’

Julien and Forty work hard every day, creating, crafting and cooking Saveurs unique flavour explosions which even include curing their own meats in the form of salami and pancetta.

Saveurs delicatessen also sells unique French cheeses and seasonal chutneys and jams which are either made in its kitchens or sourced from carefully selected suppliers.

With all these scrumptious treats on offer it’s no surprise Saveurs’ customers entered their favourite patisserie into TV’s Britain’s Best Bakery competition, which pitted local independent bakers in head-to-head challenges.

Saveurs swept the board in the South West before going on to be jointly crowned best bakery in the South.

Julien said: ‘We made it to the final six. We were the only Continental bakery in the competition so probably that means we are the best continental bakery!

‘We were very surprised to have been put in for the show by our customers. It was very unexpected but fantastic for us. It’s nice to have the recognition after the hard work we have put into the shop.’

The couple plan to introduce an online ordering service to their website and Julien has also shared the secrets of some of his favourite recipes via a series of You Tube videos, which can be viewed via their website www.saveurs.co.uk.

As well as demonstrating how to make traditional French baguettes and bread, the videos also reveal how Julien makes ham hock terrine, hot chocolate fondants, home-made piccalilli plus raspberry and chocolate mousse cake to name but a few.

Since its launch in 2008 Saveurs has grown into a treasured pearl on Dartmouth’s shores and Julien and Guylaine have no intention of letting it lose any of its lustre.

Together with their 3-year-old son, Taik, and the newest addition to their family an adorable puppy, the couple have put down roots in the town.

‘We love the area, it’s beautiful,’ Guylaine said. ‘We’ve made lots of friends here, people are very friendly and welcoming. It’s a nice place to build a family.’

Saveurs is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 5.30pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 8am to 9.30pm and Sundays from 8.30am to 9.30pm.